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krickets
Tongue Tied, Iwan Rheon
I have too much to talk about. Two new shows I've been watching lately are Misfits and Lost Girl and I'm really loving both of them and I want to talk about them but I feel so weird talking about a show as a whole instead of episode reviews, but I will just have to try because I feel like I haven't been sharing things with you guys and that's unfair and uncool. *nods*
Okay, up until the epic arc of Superhoodie/Future!Simon and Alisha, I wouldn't have even called this show a proper drama. There are dramatic elements they touch on sure, but a huge chunk of it is dedicated to the absurd or the funny -- even when dealing in serious situations.
I guess it isn't surprising that a lot of the really dark stuff centers around Simon -- and it's no wonder that I felt deeply sorry for his character more than the others. The scene at the end of 1.03 where everyone rejects him (except Kelly, bless her) just broke my heart. Plus, I loved that song. I might contemplate making a Simon mix, and try not to put anything by Iwan Rheon on it, haha. (Doubt it would fit anyway.)
Also, he's a total geek, which I love:
by thirtynotches on tumblr
I am really interested in watching his development. He's one of the only ones who seems to have near complete control over his powers. Whereas the others don't really seem to have any control over theirs at all -- with the exception of Nikki, who I like. She's important. Future Simon led them all to her for a reason. I am interested to know what it is.
Regarding the others I have to say that Nathan has been the last character I have warmed to. He actually wasn't so bad in the last episode which surprised me. Or maybe I'm just getting used to him. I joked with Dayl that Nathan is like some psychological experiment on the tv viewing audience. How dickish can a character be and have people still like him? Apparently a lot!
But the one thing I do like about it is that none of the other "ASBO five" take him seriously when he acts out and they call him out on his antics all the time, thoroughly unamused. An yet he barrels on, haha.
Both Curtis and Kelly are sweethearts -- despite her temper of course, and Alisha is a whole other can of worms.
The Simon/Alisha thing is so unexpected and yet somehow perfect. That story arc, no matter what happens from here on out, will always be flawless in my opinion. They kind of remind me of Tony/Priya in their untouchable perfection. Not a lot of romances are told in a way that makes you root for it entirely and not be at least annoyed or bored by it. So whatever may be in the future of this series, this particular set of episodes is completely faultless. And it's something powerful enough to get me back to vidding -- so it will always be special to me for that reason alone.
I think one of the things I like the show about the most is the visual style. Not only because it was good for vidding, which it was, but because it is totally my thing. I would not have, in a million years, expected this show to be shot in such a visually striking way, but it is. And worth checking out.
The "mythology" on the show has the distinction of not really having a reason or a precedence. The storm goes unexplained, the powers that they have are completely new to them and uncontrollable and some of them quite odd. (Turning, mentally, into your childhood pooch at night? That's odd!) And I kind of like that. It's definitely a new way to deal with these kinds of elements. I am waiting for them to meet someone who has powers who has had them for a long time. That might be cool. But I don't really see them going that route. Which would be okay.
Anyway, go download Iwan's EP from Amazon. I did. :)
ETA, cause I can:
No idea who made this unfortunately.
...Lost Girl later!
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Date: 2010-12-10 04:46 am (UTC)Well, except for your dislike of Nathan lol. But you knew that already.
Oh Iwan. Crushing pretty damn hard on him lately haha. Snagging the music. Thank you :)
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Date: 2010-12-10 04:53 am (UTC)Yes, crushing very hard. He's five years younger than me and it makes me feel old, haha. But I don't give a frak.
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Date: 2010-12-10 05:21 am (UTC)Kelly is still my favorite and I love that underneath her temper and her roughness she's actually really awesome and nice. I love how she's become so protective of Simon as well.
I knew Iwan was in a musical but I've never stopped to check out some mp3s and see if he can sing. So...downloading. :) Thanks.
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Date: 2010-12-10 05:25 am (UTC)You will have to let me know what you think of his song. He reminded me of Martin Mumford when I first heard him. Now that I realize he's not (I didn't watch this show when I first heard his music) I have listened to it a few more times and he's definitely got his own distinct voice. But if I could compare it with anything currently out it would be that.
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Date: 2010-12-10 05:58 am (UTC)This. It encapsulates my feeling about them. Yeah.
p.s. Thanks for the song.
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Date: 2010-12-10 06:11 am (UTC)You're welcome! I hope you like it!
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Date: 2010-12-10 07:22 am (UTC)Thank you kindly for the song as well (can't ever resist an interesting-sounding song as well, apparently ;) )! And of course, Lost Girl, yay! \o/ I got behind in November because of NaNo but I'm planning on a marathon to catch back by Sunday if I possibly can! :D ♥!
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Date: 2010-12-10 04:35 pm (UTC)Definitely check it out. There are not many eps so it should be easy to catch up on. There's 6 in s1 and there's going to be 7 in season two. (There's five so far.)
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Date: 2010-12-11 01:02 am (UTC)That's also good to know that they don't have that many eps yet. I used to freak out at the idea of a 13 ep season (which Doctor Who does, for example) but now I'm finding that it not only tends to make for much more concise, powerful eps with little filler to them, but it makes it so much less daunting to jump on and not have 40 some eps to catch up on. ;) ♥!
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Date: 2010-12-11 03:32 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-12-13 06:05 am (UTC)You like Simon. You think he's hot. ;-) I don't find anyone on this show hot, which is interesting. I still think Simon is kinda creepy. I like him anyway. I actually like all of them very much which is saying something on a show. I don't have a favorite. I really like Kelly. But I root for all of them.
Nathan is annoying as hell. And sometimes I wish he'd STFU. But he's also a scared little boy sometimes and I really felt for him when his brother died. All that mouth but he's fearless and sometimes brave and mostly an ass but at least what you see is what you get. I get that.
I like Simon and Alisha in your vid. :-) Yes, I root for them there. There it was just about them and there was no future or past or anyone dying. It had a kind of pristine-ness to it. On the show, I really liked Alisha and Curtis. A man who could love her without touching her. Loved her for her, not her body or her looks. I still don't get: why did she fall for future!Simon? I don't get it. She barely knew him.
Time travel always baffles me too. I totally overthink it. I hope we get an Epitaph One-esque episode in the future! That would be awesome! With future!Simon, future!Alisha and future all of them. Yes, I always want more. Ruins the mystery and perfection of it, but I am so nosy I just can't help it. :-)
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Date: 2010-12-13 02:08 pm (UTC)Yes, Iwan is a cutie. I will admit. But so is Nathan (Curtis). (And Antonia's just beautiful.)
I am appreciating Nathan more and more and his goofball status. Certain things he does I find funny (calling Simon Barry all the time) and he does have his moments of seriousness and kindness. But other times he's just cringeworthy. Haha.
There are some creepy things that Simon has done that I can't really explain, haha. But mostly I think he's just misunderstood. Imagine Nathan with the power of invisibility. You know he would be doing more than watching someone he cares about sleep.
Kelly is really all heart. Despite all of her anger issues, she's definitely the sweetest of the bunch. It's hard not to like her a whole lot. I think she's a lot of people's favorite character.
I don't think you can ever underestimate the appeal of a superhero. I can't explain why she fell for him but part of it, for me, seems to be because, assuming that you believe future Simon, she senses the connection that they will have in the period of time to come. (Years? IDK.) He's jumping around being all superhero-y and saving her and her friends. He's gentle with her. And yes, he can touch her. All of these things combined make for an explosive combination in the chemistry department. Plus, he traveled through time for her. At least that's what he said, and in the end it appears he was telling the truth. That's a terribly romantic gesture. I'd fall for it! lol.
I think the thing between Curtis and Alisha was not really meant to last. From a storytelling point of view at least. They hadn't really advanced beyond sneaking away into closets. As sweet as he was. It's a shame they seemed to end that relationship in order to "make way" for Nikki and Future(and Current) Simon to come into play. But that's how it's come across unfortunately.
Time travel is pretty tricky to deal with. The only way what happened works is if something later happens, and "future" Simon figured out how to change it by altering their timeline slightly and so he went back to change a few key things. But then, if he does that then he would never have gone back in the first place so wouldn't it all just happen the same way again? This has all happened before. And it will all happen again? And yeah. I try not to think about it too hard! At least they didn't handle it as poorly as lost did, lol. And I say that realizing that their handling of it is probably not finished yet. But so far anyway!
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Date: 2010-12-13 11:56 pm (UTC)I'm so excited to be able to talk about Misfits to someone. It's a show that doesn't inspire me to produce anything, but does inspire me to discuss it!
I think Nathan is cringeworthy but then he doesn't cringe, you know? Kelly said in the last episode I watched, "You're not embarrassed by anything, are you?" And he's not. I kinda like that he's so out there with everything. He wasn't embarrassed at all at loving Simon. And he's kind of accepted the powers thing so readily. But there are times he needs to learn when to shut up, though.
I love Kelly. She's kind of a mama figure. But a mama who will cuss you out and kill a probation worker trying to kill you. A hit first, ask questions second kind of woman. I do love that she can punch a man out and it hurts too. And she can take a punch too, like from Video Game man.
As for Simon and Alisha. I get the romantic going back in time thing. But he came back for her for what? Just to make her fall in love with him and watch him die? I thought time travel would be used for something more . . . useful. Maybe it will be, maybe it will. I love superheroes. I loved Toby MacGuire's Spiderman who was geeky and smart but was brave too. I actually like Simon for who he is now. Weird and creepy and awkward. Why did Alisha fall for the muscles and rescuing? Present!Simon rescues them a lot. I want to believe that she first fell for that guy. Before he was a superhero. I feel like future!Simon interfered with that. Now she's falling for who Simon is going to be, not who he is right now. She'd have never noticed him before future!Simon or if she did once we haven't seen the genuine reasons why.
Maybe Curtis and Alisha weren't going to make it. Like maybe Nathan and Kelly aren't going to happen. I think it was done poorly. Bad Heart Girl came in and Curtis (who in his own way is as flighty with romances as Alisha) just went with that. I think their break up would have made more sense if it had happened after he tried to save Sam and ended up dating both of them. If things with Alisha weren't good that would have made sense. But it seemed he chose Alisha over Sam. So to reverse that again was confusing to me. I can't root too too much for Curtis/Alisha anyway since their romance began after she raped him. I find it hard to forgive her that. Like I find it hard to believe that somewhere in Simon and in future!Simon is the guy who nearly felt Kelly up when she was practically passed out drunk. That was not right and that was before the invisibility. But that voyeur/creepy part of Simon is still there. He's channeled it in the future to watching over people but it's still there.
I'm not sold on Alisha actually having much chemistry with any of them, honestly. I see that Future!Simon adores her and that is very sweet. I can see how that kind of adoration would be irresistible. But I want Alisha to become her own woman and not be defined as someone's girlfriend. She's better than that, you know? I hope that's what her power teaches her. She can survive on her own and without being part of a sexual partnership.
Time travel is tricky and I still think the original Terminator introduced the premise best. Confusing and a paradox but that's what it is. It is romantic and I'm all for soul mates and predestined love. But I think there are consequences too. I wonder how Present Simon will feel when he finds out (and he will) who she really fell for first. I would feel like some inferior copy if I found someone fell for a future and better version of me. Interesting too that he loses his virginity not with Alisha. I'm waiting for all of these stories to play out!
Um, I wrote this at work and am posting it now. I guess I've been thinking about this show A LOT. :-)
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Date: 2010-12-14 12:44 am (UTC)And THIS. Is why I try not to think about all of this wibbly wobbly timey wimey stuff. Mind-bender. For sure.
Eh you're right I kind of agree about Alisha learning to be independent. But we don't really know how long it will be until Simon and her, in the present context, actually start to develop. However, I do feel it is possible for someone, Alisha even, to be in a relationship and not be defined by it. I don't really feel like either Curtis or Alisha were defined by their relationship to each other. The fact that Alisha was monogamous with him until Future Simon showed up, either physically or emotionally, was apparently a big step for her. I have a feeling that even though she seemed to have slept with a lot of people in the past, that being someone's girlfriend was actually something very new to Alisha.
I think next to Simon, Kelly is the one who really has the strongest hold on her powers. Even though it hasn't been expressly said in the show, she seems to be able to hone in on people to try and suss out what it is they're thinking -- rather than being unwillingly bombarded by their thoughts.
And that's another way in which Alisha draws the short stick in the "superpowers" department. She can't exactly learn anything about her "power" because she has refrained from using it all times due to its uncontrollable nature. So she's really the one least prepare to use her power, if in fact it is something that can be channeled for "good" rather than just to make her the target or perpetrator of rape. (UGH -- this still pisses me off so much!)
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Date: 2010-12-14 01:28 am (UTC)Ever see the Butterfly Effect with Ashton Kutcher? Also mind-bendy but I like it. :-)
I want to know Simon and Alisha's original timeline if that is possible? Maybe one day they will show it to us.
I think it's possible to be in a relationship and not be defined by it. But Alisha has been defined by her power and well, she was a sexual being from day one. What I mean is for her to not be defined as only a sexual being. And maybe her lesson is to learn who she is when she's not the party girl, you know? I really liked that recently she was the one that said they had to stop the Video Game Man from killing people. She was right. It was only a matter of time before he turned on them. She's young but I sense she can be so much more. And that she wants to be. Everyone keeps telling her how beautiful she is but I think she wants to be more than just that.
Simon and Kelly definitely have the best hold on their powers. Other than Alisha staying away from men and not being touched, I'm not sure how she can use it. The men end up attacking her. Even when she takes charge and uses/rapes them, it's still a pretty destructive power. But some of the powers are. Like Ice Girl who got burned up. Maybe one can learn control? Like on The X-Men? Maybe Alisha can learn to distract or allure men but just a little, not so they want to attack her. Maybe she can learn to control men through sex.
I'm not sure. Because hell, maybe she was controlling men through sex before, you know? And well, it's not a good thing to rape or control people. I want to believe that she's meant for something bigger and better and this power was given to her to steer her away from focusing on her sexuality so much. But that seems unfair and like a punishment. Nathan has no such limitations, you know? And that boy could use some boundaries.
I like the show and I feel like they are going somewhere with all of this. I hope so! I haven't been this excited about a new show in a while. :-)
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Date: 2010-12-14 01:45 am (UTC)I know! Me too! I am excited about this and about Lost Girl.
You sort of reminded me of lost girl when suggesting what Alisha could do with her power. The lead character in that, Bo, is a succubus and that's exactly what she does with her power. Only it's far more controlled and useful. She literally sucks energy from people when using it, so all of those people Alisha slept with without being able to control herself would have ended up dead. NOT SO GOOD. It isn't just sex with Bo, it's touch, but with touch, she has to actively engage her power and it's completely voluntary. Like in the first episode she touches the waitress' hand and persuades her to give them a free lunch. That kind of thing.
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Date: 2010-12-14 01:54 am (UTC)Oh noes! New show! You are intriguing me with another new show! I see this is part of your master plan! This is your power; to talk so intriguingly about awesome female characters that your entire friendslist can't help but watch. And then leave long comments to you talking about it all. :-)
Use the power for good, Crickets! Hee.
*looks up Lost Girl on Wikipedia*
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Date: 2010-12-14 02:15 am (UTC)And it links to another good recruiting post with picspam!:
http://sabrina-il.livejournal.com/1004424.html
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Date: 2010-12-14 02:28 am (UTC)*g*
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Date: 2010-12-13 04:52 pm (UTC)My absolute favorite is Nathan, and I love Kelly and Simon as well.
It's so good S/A got you back into vidding! :D:D (I have to check that vid soon, I promise!). I don't know how I feel about it. I think I love the idea of Alisha falling for present!Simon a lot and I feel that's been taken away from me now? Also - time-travel is never a good idea to prevent headaches! If he came back then he always came back, but he's preventing something... I think we need to wait till the season is over, but I'm suspicious. What if Simon was lying? What if he really changed the future? Then what did he changed? How will we know it? I'm hoping Curtis powers come into play in this storyline.
Generally, I think the show is really good. It'ss too damn short, though!
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Date: 2010-12-13 11:57 pm (UTC)Ooh, me too! I said it in a much lengthier way above but me too!
I love that Crickets got us into this show. It's so good!
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Date: 2010-12-14 12:32 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-12-14 12:31 am (UTC)I somehow doubt that he was lying and I think it's highly probable that he's changed at least part of the future. Otherwise why would he have come back? I'm not sure of the point of coming back if it wasn't to change something. I don't necessarily I subscribe to the "if he came back then he always came back" idea either. I mean one plus one and all, but still. I'm not so sure they've established their mythology on that whole idea yet so I'm reserving judgment.
It is way to short. I'm so glad you've started watching! You'll have to let me know what you think of the vid. Although being suspect of future Simon it may not be your cuppa, lol.
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Date: 2010-12-14 10:30 pm (UTC)